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Kristian Carreon/The San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS

Study: All the ways San Diego homeownership is cheaper than other US cities

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

If you take away the substantial purchase price of a San Diego home, a new study claims that the rest of the cost associated with owning a home here is less than many cities.

An index from the University of San Diego, which launched in April, says the overall cost of owning a home in the county is lower than many areas in terms of energy bills,...Read more

John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Chicago high-rise powered by geothermal could set new standard for development

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

One of Chicago’s first all-electric, geothermal-powered residential high-rises is taking shape in Fulton Market.

The 33-story apartment project at 410 N. Elizabeth St. could set a new standard for Chicago development, perhaps proving that massive new high-rises can drastically reduce reliance on fossil fuels, cut carbon emissions and reduce ...Read more

Real estate Q&A: Is my plan to lower my homeowners insurance premium smart?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: My homeowners insurance premium jumped again this year, and I am trying to bring the bill down. I am thinking about lowering the coverage amount on my house and raising my deductible to save some money. Is that a smart way to cut the cost, or am I setting myself up for trouble? — Gerald

A: There is a right way and a wrong way to cut costs,...Read more

Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times/TNS

Seattle's 'wary' home shoppers leave housing market in limbo

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

SEATTLE — As more for-sale signs sprouted in front yards this summer, homes across the region sat on the market awaiting home-shoppers willing to make a leap despite high prices and stubborn mortgage rates.

At current demand, it would take more than three months to sell all the single-family homes listed in King County, according to a measure...Read more

Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times/TNS

'It's not like I'm painting a tiger on my house': Hollywood's Sunset Square squabbles over its historic preservation rules

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

LOS ANGELES — In 2017, Hollywood's Sunset Square was named a Historic Preservation Overlay Zone, solidifying its place in L.A.'s architectural history. Four years later, Lady Gaga's dogwalker was shot in the chest outside a vacant house in the middle of the neighborhood.

A small contingent of Sunset Square residents insist the two events are ...Read more

Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post/TNS

Family's home lost to foreclosure sits empty in legal limbo: 'The system feels like gangsters'

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

DENVER — A two-story house that once sheltered a family of six sits empty on a corner lot in Green Valley Ranch as years of legal wrangling over homeowners association fines, metro district foreclosures and Denver’s affordable housing covenants continue to move through Colorado’s judicial system.

A year after a Denver District Court judge...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Without Trust, You've Got Nothing

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Of all the things I've ever dreamed of being, advice columnist was never on the list. But here I am, playing one every day. That's because while my inbox loads up with tips, hints and questions related to frugal living and getting out of debt, many questions spill over into dilemmas -- family, life and love.

Dear Cheapskate: I have been dating ...Read more

Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Port of Long Beach buys downtown office tower as vacancies surge

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

LOS ANGELES -- The Port of Long Beach has continued to plant roots downtown with the acquisition of an office tower.

The port spent $36 million to buy the property at 100 Oceangate, a 13-story building across the street from the port's headquarters and less than a 10-minute drive from the port.

The purchase comes as the office vacancy rate in ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Whacky Doodle Ground Beef

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Years ago, I made a terrible mistake. I froze 10 pounds of ground beef. That big block of frozen burger languished in the freezer for years. What was I thinking? I should have browned it first and then frozen it in usable portions. But browning beef can be so messy. Lesson learned.

A few weeks ago, I came upon another cheap ground beef ...Read more

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

Home prices pick up in 80% of US metro areas, led by Northeast

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Prices of existing homes rose in 80% of U.S. metropolitan areas in the second quarter, as home values pick up pace after several months of weakness.

The figure is up from 71% that saw year-over-year increases in the first quarter, National Association of Realtors data released Tuesday showed. By region, the Northeast — where the supply of ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: How to Clean a Bathtub Anti-Slip Bottom

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

If you have a bathtub with a slip-resistant bottom that still looks dingy, grungy and downright grimy no matter what you use to clean it, I have really good news and at least one surefire solution that will even bring an older tub bottom back to being clean and like new!

Since the Americans with Disabilities Act became law in 1990, all bathroom...Read more

AI isn't a catch-all trade for stocks in this earnings season

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Equity investors are learning a harsh lesson this corporate earnings season: Not all artificial intelligence trades are created equal.

While profits at S&P 500 and Stoxx Europe 600 constituents as a whole are tracking one of the best quarterly increases in years, traders have been much more discerning about how much cash is being spent on ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: How to Water Your Lawn Without Being Wasteful This Summer

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Every summer it happens.

The weather turns hot, the lawn starts looking a little tired, and otherwise sensible people begin dragging sprinklers around the yard as though they're trying to rescue the Sahara Desert one gallon at a time.

Water bills climb. Grass still looks unhappy. And somewhere in the neighborhood, there's always one sprinkler ...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Searching for an affordable house in SoCal, she fell for a scam sweeping social media

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Pam Yeager thought she had found her perfect next rental in a cute bungalow near downtown Fullerton, California.

It seemed like a no-brainer: It was priced slightly below the region's average for a two-bedroom home, would allow her to live closer to her son and was available right as her current lease was expiring.

But it turned out to be one ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Judge tosses lawsuit alleging Zillow deceived home shoppers

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A federal judge has thrown out the central claims in a lawsuit alleging that Zillow illegally deceived home shoppers into working with certain real estate agents.

The case, filed in September, said that prominent buttons on Zillow’s website inviting browsers to “Contact agent” or “Request a tour” make home shoppers assume they’re ...Read more

Real estate Q&A: Can I take over seller's mortgage loan with low interest rate?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: The house I want to buy has a mortgage at a 3 percent interest rate, and my agent says the loan might be “assumable.” Rates today are more than double that. Can I really just take over the seller’s loan and keep that low rate instead of getting a new one? What is the catch? — Marcus

A: I understand the appeal. A rate like that feels ...Read more

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

Mortgage rates in US rise to 6.66%, highest level in a year

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

U.S. mortgage rates rose to a 12-month high as Treasury yields climbed in recent weeks and continued fighting in Iran fueled concern about higher inflation.

The average for a 30-year, fixed loan increased to 6.66% from 6.58% a week earlier, Freddie Mac said in a statement Thursday. The rate was the highest since July 31, 2025, when it was 6.72%...Read more

Bizuayehu Tesfaye @bizutesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

Fewer Californians are moving to Nevada, DMV data shows

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Fewer out-of-state residents, especially Californians, moved to Nevada last year, according to Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles driver’s license surrender data obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The DMV collected approximately 82,072 surrendered out-of-state or country driver’s licenses or IDs in 2025, a 14 percent drop from 2024 ...Read more

Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Victorian parlor meets Candyland: Inside the maximalist apartment of a Los Angeles stylist

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

"More is more and less is a bore." ― Iris Apfel

LOS ANGELES -- After spending decades collecting clean-lined Midcentury Modern furniture and accessories, stylist Wendi Weger felt it was time to give her Silver Lake apartment a playful update.

"Everything was brown," Weger says as she sits on a plush sofa covered in pink and chartreuse ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Bounce Back From Bankruptcy

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Dear Mary: Please give me some pointers on bouncing back from bankruptcy. Will this have any effect on future employment opportunities? -- Henry, email

Dear Henry: Live on cash. Have only one credit card, and if you use it, pay it in full every month. Refuse all other offers of credit, and take on no unsecured debt. Pay all of your bills early;...Read more

 

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